Posts Tagged ‘communication’
What Crisis Leaders Do Well
Yesterday, I shared a brand-new teaching on Facebook about what the best leaders do well during a crisis. As we all find our way through these rapidly changing times, I’m committed to sharing my thoughts with you as often as I can and using every tool at my disposal to provide practical teachings that help…
Read MoreBefore You Share, Ask Yourself: Do I Want Accountability or Approval?
Imagine you’re sitting in a meeting, and a thought suddenly pops into your head. It’s a smart insight, and you’re tempted to interrupt things in order to interject. You look around the table, wondering when you might get the chance to jump into the discussion. Or maybe you’re sitting at your desk, and an email…
Read MoreMark Cole: Five Tools for Communicating Vision
One of my favorite lessons John Maxwell teaches is, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” The most important point is the first one—“A leader knows the way”—because if the leader doesn’t know the way it will be impossible to go the way and show the way.…
Read MoreMark Cole: Leading People to Accept Change
Change is challenging. One of the things I’ve heard John Maxwell teach about change is that no one really likes to change, not even leaders—unless the change is their idea! As John says, “Most people are more comfortable with old problems than new solutions, because the new represents the unknown.” It’s awkward to do something…
Read MoreMark Cole: The 30-Second Rule
One of the first lessons that John Maxwell taught me, many years ago, was the “30-Second Rule”. One night around a dinner table with several other colleagues, John leaned over to me and said, “Mark, if you really want to win with people, say something encouraging within the first thirty seconds of every conversation.” I’ve…
Read MoreConnect This Season By Putting Your Focus on Others
Christmas is a time for people to get together. Between office parties, get-togethers with friends, and Christmas dinner itself, most of us spend a lot of time face-to-face with family, colleagues, and friends during this season. And all that “face time” has the potential to be filled with either connection or conflict. How do you…
Read MoreThe Great Leader’s Guide to Connecting Emotionally with Others
No matter what your goals are, communicating with others in a meaningful way can help you. On the other hand, if you can’t communicate, it will cost you. For the person who aims to make a difference by partnering with others? Communication is paramount. After spending forty years as a leader and communicator, I am…
Read MoreGood Words on Communication
I love collecting good quotes. I’ve been doing so for over 40 years. One subject where I have literally dozens of wonderful quotes is communication. It’s one of my passions, so I pay close attention to what great communicators have to say on the subject. Here are just a few of my favorite quotes on…
Read MoreA Leader’s Balancing Act
Masterful chefs fuse diverse ingredients into a coherent, tasty whole. When cooking, they perform a kind of culinary balancing act, deftly bringing spices and seasonings into perfect harmony. Each element of the dish touches the tongue with its flavor, and yet none overwhelms the rest. Great leaders combine an assortment of skills into a single…
Read MoreBuilding a Unified Team
Just because you assemble great players does not mean you have automatically have a great team. I have always loved basketball, and I played throughout high school. Entering my junior year, our team was loaded with talent, and we were projected to contend for the state title. I was one of two juniors in our…
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